Broken Road
by Cherrykissez
Summary: After the game ended, Karkat disappeared without a trace. That was nearly five years ago. Now, he's here on the front porch of a certain troll's home, looking for a place to stay and a warm meal to eat. Warning: May become Sol/Kat later on.


Sollux quietly got up from his chair, silently padding across the hardwood flooring of his living room out to the front porch. Quietly, he opened the door, peering around the frame at the hooded figure sitting out on his porch. Small nubs made points in the thick grey fabric of the hoodie.

"Kk?" He asked quietly, voice softer than the breeze that blew on that warm spring morning.

He looked up at the man that had recently appeared behind him, overgrown hair barely covering his now-red irises. "No, clearly I'm simultaneously the tooth fairy and a serial killer, I've come to kill you and steal your teeth," he says back at the other troll, voice laced with exhaustion.

Sollux have a toothy grin, an overbite obvious in his smile. "Nice to see you too, kk." He said, stepping back as he opened the door wide, gesturing inside. "Come on in."

"I see you have the ability to only hear what you want to," he mumbles under his breath, standing and walking into the house. "Thanks."

"No problem." He said, following the shorter of the two into the small flat. He gestured for Karkat to sit down on the couch before going off to get some drinks. "You look horrible, kk." He said, as he came back with two glasses of iced tea, eyeing the unhealthily thin troll, sitting back down in his chair and eyeing him with half-hidden concern. "What happened to you?"

At the motion he walks over the the couch, sitting on the edge of it as if he didn't want to chance getting comfortable. "Gee thanks, I wasn't aware that my face was so horrifying people feel the need to bring attention to just how terrible it is," he says, trying to avoid the real implications. "A lot of things have happened to me," he responds with a sigh. "Do you mean recently or do you expect me to sit here and give you my life story?"

"Either is fine with me, kk. It's been five years-or sweeps-or whatever the planetary rotations are called nowadays- since I've seen you. But first things first, why've you come here of all places?" He asked, taking a small sip of his drink, patiently awaiting a reply.

"Years. I would prefer if I didn't have to talk about it at all actually, but I get the feeling you're not going to make that an option." He turns his head away from the other, contemplating whether he should even be asking the next part. He concludes that there's no harm in trying. "I kind of need a place to stay for a while."

Sollux blinked a couple times, slightly shocked at the sudden question. "Why do you need a place to stay, if I may ask?" He asked, completely caught off guard by the sudden request to be quartered from the slightly younger troll after five years of being MIA.

"I mean, I'm perfectly fine with giving you a place to stay, I just want to know." He clarified, hoping that he could correct his implication, not wanting to offend his friend and force him into another five years of hiding.

"Once again, I'd prefer not to talk about it. But...the police closed down my apartment and being homeless doesn't really agree with me." Karkat realized that it was a bit of a stretch to think that anyone would be willing to give him a place to stay, especially after being so silent, but he really didn't have anything else to lose. The fact Sollux actually agreed caused more than bit of surprise. "I'll definitely get out of your hair as soon as I can, though."

"No," The yellow-blood waved dismissively "Stay as long as you need. Now, do you want the others to know you're with me?" He asked, looking over his friend's gaunt figure with dichromatic eyes, trying to read his body language as best as he could.

"And I need to get out of your hair as soon as I can; I'm not going to start bothering you all over again." His body language didn't betray what he was thinking, though it was clear from the way he held himself that sleep hadn't made itself known for a very long time. "Probably not," he admits after a moment's thought.

"Alright then..." Sollux sighed, a small scowl pulling at the edge of his lips. "You look exhausted, kk. Lie down for a bit. I'll make lunch." He said, standing up and stretching.

"The guest bedroom is the first door on the left." He said before walking into the kitchen.

"I'm fine and I don't need to lie down," he responds defensively. In all honesty he felt pretty bad taking any food from Sollux after having just arrived, but there was no denying he was hungry, starving was probably a better description.

The troll peeked his head into the doorway that connected the living room to the kitchen. "Kk, please, go rest. It's obvious you haven't slept in days. Lunch will be done soon, 'kay? Please?"

He began to argue, but stopped before the first word left his mouth. Sollux was putting up with him being in the house, the least he could do is listen to him when he tries to help. "...Fine, I'm going." With that he stands from the couch and walks off slowly to the bedroom.

"Thanks, kk." Sollux said with a small smile, returning to the kitchen and pulling out various ingredients to prepare their mid-day meal.

"Yeah whatever," he mutters, likely too quiet for the other troll to have heard him. Karkat doesn't bother even getting into the bed; he all but collapses on top of it and tries to get to sleep.

Sollux sighed, methodically chopping up vegetables. It would be a while before lunch would be ready. Seeing that Karkat hadn't had a decent meal in a very long time, he hoped to compensate for it to at least some degree.

Pulling out a large pot, he set the burner on high and poured broth into the stainless steel container, dumping in the bits of vegetable he had cut up before going back into the refrigerator for some chicken to put in as well.

Unfortunately for Karkat sleep didn't come easy, it was almost the exact opposite of that, despite the exhaustion nagging at his mind and body he didn't end up finding sleep until a few moments before Sollux had finished making lunch. Even then no sane person could have described the sleep as restful.

Sollux quietly came in, watching as his friend groaned and tossed around in a fitful sleep. He gently reached down and firmly grasped the troll's shoulder, scowling deeply when he could feel the joint rolling in its socket as he tried to hold him in place.

Cautiously, he shook him awake. "Kk, hey, kk. Wake up. Lunch's ready." He said his voice barely above a whisper.

As soon as he realized the other troll was in the room his eyes snapped open and he shoved the hand away, probably a little more roughly than was actually necessary. "I'm awake of course I'm awake, awake is a thing that I am," he blurted out in a rush. From the panicked look in his eyes it was clear that he'd just been woken from a nightmare, not that he would want to admit it.

Sollux slowly withdrew his hand from the others, pitch black eyebrows furrowing in obvious concern, but he did not address the issue for he knew Karkat would just lie to him anyways. "Lunch's ready if you're hungry." Was all he said before he stalked out of the room and back into the kitchen, serving both of them a bowl of soup, a hot sandwich, and a glass of water.

He tried to shake both the sleep and the memory of it out of his head before shifting off of the bed and following Sollux. Karkat was hungry, he knew he was hungry, but after that little nap he was having a hard enough time stopping his stomach from churning. None-the less he began to eat, albeit slowly.

Sollux sat across from him, quietly sipping at his soup. He occasionally stole glances at the other to make sure he was eating properly. He gently tapped his spoon on the edge of the bowl, contemplating something. He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Would you like to take a shower after this? I have some clothing I can lend you." He said slowly, making sure the Cancer across from him heard him clearly.

Karkat didn't notice that occasional glances, mostly he was staring down at his food as he ate. He'd successfully managed most of the sandwich, but after so long without eating he just wasn't as hungry as he usually would be. "Yeah, if you don't mind then that would be good. Is there any chance you have bandages I could use as well?" He adds after a moment of thought.

"Bandages..? Yeah, I can lend you some bandages..." The Gemini replied, cleaning up his dishes after he had finished. "Do you want me to put away the rest of your lunch for later?" The yellow-blood asked, seeing that at this point, Karkat was just idly stirring his lukewarm soup. It was to be expected after going without food for so long.

He rests the spoon against the side of the bowl and shakes his head slightly. "Forget it; I doubt I'm going to be any fucking hungrier then, either." He stands from the table, though after wincing he finds that he regrets not doing that more carefully. "Okay here's a better question, do you have any suture stuff, or even a sewing kit maybe?"

Sollux noticed him wince and gave him a suspicious look. "Yeah... I think I have a needle and some thread around... kk, are you hurt?" He asked, going over to him and resting his hand on his overly bony shoulder.

He knocks the hand away, an automatic reaction more than anything else. "Not too badly, but I did a pretty sloppy job with the stitches the first time around and now that I don't have to buy supplies from a store full of cheap shit I should probably change them," he explains, though the vaguely pained expression on his face belies his original claim.

The taller troll scowled once more, the sharp teeth from his overbite poking out even more so. "I don't believe that, kk." He said sharply, dragging him out of the kitchen and into the hallway bathroom. "Let me see how bad it is, kk."

After a few moments of stalling he finally lifts up the edge of his over-sized hoodie, although it's just as likely it used to fit properly, to reveal heavy gauze bandaging wrapped around his lower torso, the side of which is caked with dried blood. "It's not that bad, I just haven't really had a chance to change the bandages since then," he tries to justify, realizing it does in fact seem pretty bad.

Sollux made a circling gesture with his index finger. "Take the hoodie off and get in the shower, I'll be right back with the first aid kit." He sighed, scooting past Karkat in the small bathroom, quickly going to the medicine cabinet in the master bathroom and pulling out a large white box. After searching around for few minutes for a lighter, needle, and heavy duty thread, he returned opening the door to the bathroom and locking it behind him.

By the time Sollux returned Karkat had only managed to remove the hoodie and the bandaging, unfortunately the bandaging had become somewhat stuck to his skin from the blood and peeling it off had succeeded in tugging out a couple of stitches. The injury was a long gash along his side, which would definitely not be described as shallow, and it was clearly amateur stitching holding it together. "Any particular reason you locked the door, are you planning on taking me as a slave and keeping me here where I can't escape?" He questioned.

The Gemini chuckled, smirking. "It is tempting, but no. I don't want you freaking out and escaping with a half open wound." He said taking the dirtied bandages and tossing them into the garbage can. He snapped open the first aid kit, pulling out a bag of cotton balls, iodine and a seam ripper. The screwed open the cap and put a cotton ball over the mouth, quickly flipping it over and back. Then he took the lighter and stitch ripper, flicking on the lighter he sterilized the point with the small flickering flame. Sollux kneeled down in front of Karkat and began gently tugging at the stitched, each one breaking with little to no force. Once he had completed his task, he pulled out the broken threads, wincing as bright red blood began to pour from the freshly opened wound.

Karkat twisted his lips into a half-frown and a half smirk, but it only made him look more pained. He watched as Sollux ripped the stitches, thankful they were made of such a cheap material, but not very if it meant the wound opened so easily. "I'm not the one to freak out over this shit." He said "If I can stitch myself up in an alleyway with half of my vital fluids pooling around me, I can deal with this." Sollux only gave him a glance before reaching for the thread and needle and soaked cotton ball.

"You're so good at this; you might as well become a doctor." He joked. Sollux smirked.

"I do have a degree." The Yellow-blood replied. As Karkat examined the needle further, he realized that is was in fact a professional stitching needle, bent to a perfect right angle. Karkat gritted his teeth as Sollux wiped away any infection with the iodine-soaked cotton ball, leaving a brownish stain on the swollen redish-grey skin. The Gemini soaked a second ball, repeating the process and digging out any pus and dirt that had trapped itself deep inside the wound. When Sollux looked up, Karkat's face was obviously contorted in pain.

"You mean you're actually in medical school?" Karkat asked, looking down at him in partial surprise.

"Yep, I just graduated. I'm working at a small clinic not too far from here." He said, sterilizing the needle with the lighter and threading the heavy-duty medical grade black thread. Karkat hissed when the tip of the needle was pressed into the skin just above the left most edge of the wide gash. With expert motions Sollux quickly stitched the wound together, tying it off securely and cutting the loose end with a swift bite from his sharp teeth.

Sighing, Solluz stood up, packing up the first aid kit and washing off the bloodied needle before unlocking the door and leaving, telling him that he would be back soon with a change of clothing. Karkat looked down at himself, inspecting the neat and consistent stitches; having deemed them decent enough, he stripped himself of his worn jeans and sneakers and stepped into the shower, closing the curtain and turning the shower head on full blast.

He gave a small smile of contentment, letting the warm spray wash over him. He grabbed the bottle of shampoo and poured a generous amount into his hands before lathering it into his overly greasy and dirty black hair. He repeated this three more times for good measure before finishing off with some conditioner. He looked around for some soap, only finding some girly honeysuckle scented body wash- god, in all the time he had been away, Sollux hadn't changed one goddamn bit. He applied a generous amount, being careful of his new and sensitive stitches.

He washed himself thoroughly, relishing in the feeling of finally getting all the grime and dirt off of himself. Like with his hair, he washed once or twice more and in places he wouldn't normally wash or couldn't reach for good measure. He rinsed himself off and turned off the water, stepping out and drying himself off. He looked in surprise at the pile of neatly folded clothing on the counter next to the sink. He pulled it on tugging at the abnormally loose clothing, hoping it would help it fit better.

Looking down at the T-shirt he was wearing, he realized the symbol on it was neither Yellow, nor Sollux's.

It was one of his old T-shirt.

Karkat scowled, tracing the curve of the grey symbol. It was pathetic of Sollux to keep his clothing, but the fact that it was his made him feel all the more at home. Like the game never happened, like he was on Alternia ranting and raving to his friends about how stupid they were. He still had his anonymous grey colour; his symbol representing the shackles of his ancestor, The Sufferer.

The rules of presenting blood colour and symbol on Alternia remained when the trolls moved to their new planet to live on along with the humans. Although the caste system of the hemospectrum no longer proved to be of any real significance to the trolls, the humans that were able to be salvaged from Earth still used it as a means of prejudicing them; at least by those few who were still very reluctant to the fact that they had to share the planet with the strange alien race.

The Cancer sighed, combing out his horribly tangled and matted hair. It took nearly thirty minutes to get it completely combed through. He blew wet bangs from his forehead before going out to get a pair of scissors and give himself a much needed haircut. Sollux raised a thin black eyebrow at the sight of his friend carrying a pair of scissors through the house. He shrugged, returning back to his chores.

Not long after, Karkat returned with his hair significantly shorter than it once was, but just as wild and unruly. He looked like his old self again. Sollux smiled.

"That's a good look on you, kk." He said, earning a glare from Karkat.

"Shut up, you nooklicker!" He snapped, scowling. Sollux chuckled.

"Whatever you say, kk."

/\\/\\

**A/N: Hey guys! First ever Homestuck fic. :3 This started out as an RP on Trollmegle, but I kinda screwed up and exited out of it. Luckily I saved all but one comment of it. So, I took it into my own hands to finish it. I'm going to try to get the next chapter out ASAP. Tell me what you guys think! Rate and Review!-CK**


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